The A.I. controversy that is definitely positively over (This week in books)

This week! Books!

First up, in case you missed it earlier in the week, I want to hear from you! If you complete this quick survey, you’ll have a chance to win a $50 gift card to Bookshop.org.

Meanwhile, we’re edging well into summer, but I found some links for you to peruse.

the little games – David Moldawer, The Maven Game – How do artists press forward in the face of potential failure? Agent David Moldawer delves into the mysterious quality.

There Are More than Five POVs – Lincoln Michel, Counter Craft – Author Lincoln Michel bristles against the strict buckets of the five standard POVs and delves into approaches that defy easy categorization.

Short story prize clears winners of AI allegations after month-long review – Shahana Yasmin, The Independent – You may remember the Granta controversy, where several award winners were widely accused of being A.I.-generated? Well, an independent review that included reviewing the authors’ drafts has cleared them of using A.I. I’m sure this will totally end the controversy… (I personally think this just shows policing A.I. usage is inevitably a fool’s errand, and prize-winners are going to need to be judged strictly on quality regardless of the inputs).

How to Spot Scam Email Addresses – Victoria Strauss, Writer Beware – Unfortunately, an important skill for writers these days is being able to spot scam email addresses.

Faye Iosotaluno Joins Entangled as President, COO – Sophia Stewart, Publishers Weekly – An interesting hire by Fourth Wing publisher Entangled: Former Tinder CEO Faye Iosotaluno.

‘Theo of Golden’ Broke Every Rule in Publishing. It’s an Unprecedented Bestseller. – Pamela Paul, Wall Street Journal – How Allen Levi’s Theo of Golden rocketed from self-publication to millions in sales.

Colson Whitehead’s Big Score – Julian Lucas, The New Yorker – In my queue for the weekend, a new Julian Lucas profile of one of our great living writers, Colson Whitehead.

This week in bestsellers

Here are the top five NY Times bestsellers in a few key categories. (All links are affiliate links):

Adult print and e-book fiction:

1. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
2. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
3. Whistler by Ann Patchett
4. Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir
5. Choke Point by Brad Thor

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. Communion by JD Vance
2. The Land and Its People by David Sedaris
3. Strangers by Belle Burden
4. Stripped Down by Bunnie Xo
5. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

Young adult hardcover:

1. Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
2. The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss
3. A Prince Among Pirates by Katie Abdou
4. Release Me by Tahereh Mafi
5. If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
2. Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate
3. KPop Demon Hunters by Jessica Yoon
4. Unsettling Salad! by Aaron Reynolds
5. Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate

This week on the blog

In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:

• A guide to social media for authors
• Author survey! Answer a few easy questions for a chance to win a $50 gift card

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

• Follow me on Bluesky and Threads

And finally:

See How These Artisans Are Recreating the Revolution – Lise Funderburg, New York Times – Amid an explosion of A.I. usage sucking the humanity out of online spaces, I really appreciated this look at artisans who are keeping old artistic techniques alive.

Have a great weekend!

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Photo: The Huntington, San Marino, CA